We’re taking a look at some of the popular reusable bottle options at Sprout Soup. If you missed our previous posts, check out our review of the Klean Kanteen and the ThinkSport Insulated Bottle.

LifeFactory Glass Beverage Bottle

Comparing the different options available is the best, and really only way to know that you’re choosing the bottle that will fit your needs. Today we are showcasing another interesting option, one that many might find surprising because it’s glass! All of our other bottles are stainless steel. Here’s what makes the LifeFactory Glass Beverage Bottle stand out.

Stainless steel bottles are great, durable, safe, but one of the problems with it is you can’t see what you’re drinking. Perhaps you don’t see this as a huge issue, and maybe it really isn’t, but imagine this. It’s a hot summer day. You’ve been playing in the park with your kids. You really need a drink, so you saunter over to a picnic table where you’ve stashed your lunch and reusable water bottle. Would you rather take a swig from a simple stainless steel bottle or a glass bottle filled with cold water, with ice and lemon slices floating inside. Doesn’t it seem much more refreshing when you can see the wonderful beverage you’ve filled your glass bottle with? You could even brew a small portion of sun tea right in your LifeFactory beverage bottle.

So of course the flip side to glass is it’s breakable. LifeFactory has taken that into account a few ways (and don’t forget that your stainless bottles are prone to denting). First, the glass is tempered, a process by which the glass is made stronger and resilient to most minor injury. Second, the glass is thick, especially at the bottom. And finally, the glass is covered with a silicone sleeve that also protects it and holds it intact. By the way, those silicone sleeves are another plus, these bottles are totally cute and come in great colors!

LifeFactory Beverage Bottles come in two sizes: 16 ounces and 22 ounces. They both have a contoured shape, making them easy to grasp around the middle, and a small enough footprint that they will fit in most cup holders. The bottles come complete with a Polypropylene (plastic #5, the safest for beverages) top with a large loop for easy carrying or clipping to a bag. The top also has a silicone seal, keeping these bottles secure and leak-free.

The twist-off loop top is the only option for these bottles, so you do have to expose your beverage to a bit of plastic at the top, and you do need to unscrew and drink straight from the wide mouth of the bottle. It is wide enough to drop ice cubes in.

Probably the biggest realized benefit to switching to a glass reusable bottle is in the taste department. Glass does not impart any extra flavors to your beverage. Drinking essential oils has become popular recently, and some oils can react with metals or pull chemicals from plastic, so glass is certainly the way to go if you intend to add elements to your beverage. While most say stainless steel doesn’t change the flavor of beverages, glass is definitely a more palatable material to put your mouth on.

While the durability of the glass bottles may be questionable (you might need to be especially careful with them when they’re full), the LifeFactory Beverage bottles would be an excellent way to transport water in your car in the warmer months, the glass should not be harmed at all by extreme hot temperatures. Take care in cold temperatures, because freezing liquid can cause glass to break, but it can also cause stainless steel to dent. And if you’re interested in a refreshing look, or adding lemon, essential oil or other items to your water, glass is certainly the safest way to go.

There are so many reusable bottles out there now that it can be hard to decide which to buy! In some ways this is a good problem to have, people are really seeing the value in ditching the single-use water bottles and going with reusable. You don’t have to look far to see people with their bottles, in the park, at the rec center, I’ve even seen them in stores, sticking out of purses and bags. Keep your bottle with you so you’re not tempted by a single-use when thirst strikes!

So which bottle is right for you? You might find you need more than one for different situations, something for when you’re exercising, something else for toting around town. (They’re great to keep in your car, too! Fill a clean bottle with distilled water and it can be ready and waiting when you’re on the go. Clean and refill regularly to avoid bacteria growth.) This week we’ll review some popular reusable bottles and their pros and cons.

Klean Kanteen

Up first is the Klean Kanteen. This is the product that made carrying your own bottle trendy. We owe them a lot for paving the way toward reusable water bottles.

Klean Kanteens are single-wall stainless steel (they do have a double wall option, but for this comparison we only feature the single wall). They come in great colors or the old standby brushed stainless. The original Klean Kanteens all have the same threaded mouth opening, and the smallest three sizes are all the same diameter at the bottom. The largest size, 40 ounces, has a wider bottom. The 12, 18 and 27 ounce bottles fit easily in cup holders and there are a variety of options for on-the-go toting, like straps or Built NY totes.

Because the tops are all the same diameter on the original bottles, you have your choice of covers. Most popular is probably the Sport Cap. It was redesigned earlier this year to also include a loop so you can clip it and go. Just pop the top up to drink. A well designed vent allows the liquid to leave the bottle without leaking, although some might complain that the vent reduces the flow too much and doesn’t allow big gulps when you’re really thirsty.

The loop cap is also popular, with this top just unscrew and drink. The loop is handy for carrying or clipping to a bag. If space is an issue, choose the flat top, which unscrews just like the loop top but without the loop so it will fit in smaller spaces. Both the loop top and the flat top come in Polypropylene (Plastic #5, BPA-free and the safest for liquids) or you can choose to upgrade to a cap with stainless steel lining and Polypropylene top. This ensures your drink is not exposed to any plastic.

One final option is the sippy top adapter, which is a $4 upgrade. This Polypropylene top is two pieces between which a standard size nipple or sippy top can fit. Avent sippy tops are included in the upgrade price. The benefit to starting your child out in a Klean Kanteen is the same bottle can be used later, just swap out for a sport or loop top when they are older and no longer need the sippy top.

The rolled top of the Klean Kanteen is pleasant to drink from, and their threaded design and caps do not leak. The design of the Klean Kanteen has been imitated, but in our experience the knockoffs don’t have the same quality. Many bottles that look like the Klean Kanteen do not perform as well, and often the tops will leak, which can be very disappointing.

One last option in the Klean Kanteen lineup is the wide mouth bottle. There are quite a few benefits to the wide bottle. Standard ice cubes can be easily dropped into the bottle. The wide mouth bottle also comes standard with a stainless steel loop top. The underside is stainless steel (which comes in contact with the liquid in the bottle, the top is Polypropylene with a loop for easy latching and carrying. In a slight deviation from the standard Klean Kanteen design, the wide mouth bottles have silicone attached at the rim. This feature allows the bottle to close tightly, eliminating leaks, and also cushions the mouthpiece for those who are opposed to drinking from metal. One big drawback to the wide mouth Klean Kanteen is that the tops are not interchangeable with the other Klean Kanteen tops. There’s no swapping back and forth on these if you want a sport top one day and a loop top the next. But if you’re just starting your reusable bottle collection, that may not be an issue.

Stainless steel does not taint the taste of liquids as other metals might, but some still report either discomfort or a slight metalic taste when drinking straight from stainless steel bottles.

Goodbyn came across my email quite suddenly. Being that it was already a week into August I was worried about getting yet another waste-free lunch solution as schools across the country are already starting up. I’m sure the good folks behind the Goodbyn intended to have their lunch box ready before the back to school rush, but the product is certainly unique enough that it stands out, and those stragglers waiting until the last minute to decide how they will pack their child’s lunch are in for a great surprise!

Packing lunches in bento style is becoming very popular because it has a lot of benefits. First, it’s easy to do with little to no waste. You can buy foods in bulk and easily dispense it into smaller portions for your kids. Instead of buying single serve yogurt or applesauce containers, buy a whole quart and fill up a section of their Goodbyn. Add a few frozen berries on top for a special treat! You can also purchase nuts and dried fruits in bulk, make your own ‘Lunchables’ with crackers and cut up cheese. Preparing a lunch this way certainly gets you thinking outside the box and making creative and appetizing meals away from home.

Unlike other bento systems that have separate pieces to make up your child’s lunch, which can easily be misplaced, the Goodbyn is a seamless lunch container with individual sections that completely seal, separating the food, even if the box is tossed inside a backpack.

The Goodbyn is dishwasher safe! No more lunchboxes or bags that get yucky after the first month back to school. No need to worry about a detour through the playground on the way home! Simply place both the lid and box in your dishwasher and you’re ready to pack the next day in a box without dirt in every crevice!

Your child’s Goodbyn lunchbox is easy to tote and store. Hold it by the handle or slip it into a backpack without worry that the packed banana will smoosh into the sandwich. Prop it in a locker or toss it in a cubby. Goodbyn goes where your child goes, keeping lunch fresh and presentable.

The kids favorite part is certainly the 275 stickers that come with the Goodbyn. They can personalize it with their name, create a funny friend by adding a face to the Goodbyn, or just be silly with it.

Goodbyn appeals to us and fits our goals and missions here at Sprout Soup on many levels. First, they have created a unique product that fills a need in the market. They have chosen safe and FDA-approved plastics for their product. The Goodbyn is made from polypropelene, PP #5, the most stable and safest plastic for food. It is BPA-free, lead-free and phthalate free. Once the Goodbyn has had a long life bringing your child’s meal to school with them, the Goodbyn is recyclable!

The company behind Goodbyn has made some great decisions, too. First, they kept manufacturing in the United States. In times when companies look to save by shipping production overseas, it’s great to see others making a commitment to keeping domestic jobs. Goodbyn is produced in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in a factory that is conscious of both ecological and labor ethics. The packaging is made in Washington state from FSC-certified and recycled materials and vegetable-based inks.

I think you will agree that the Goodbyn is pretty cool. In fact I’ve heard quite a few adults remark that they want one for themselves, so it’s not just for kids! Due to overwhelming demand we only have a few on hand until mid-September, so hop on over and buy a Goodbyn for a kid you love.

We’ve received a new shipment of the popular Foogo Sippy Cups and I was pleasantly surprised to find that they have updated their packaging! The old Foogo packaging was a plastic clam shell like you would find electronic equipment packaged in. It was hard to open, hard for us to store on our stockroom shelves, and created a lot of waste. The new design is much more eco-friendly, a simple cardboard sleeve that can be recycled. I’m happy to see Thermos (the company who manufactures Foogo products) making simple changes like these to help our environment. I’m sure our customers will be pleased as well.

The new package also proudly announces that the Foogo is BPA-free.

With this shipment our stock of the Blue Foogo Cups has been replenished. They had been out of stock since the beginning of the summer. We still have a few pink cups in the clam shell packaging in stock, but expect to have more pink in the new packages soon.

Foogo Food Cups are still packaged in plastic. Could they be next for an eco-friendly makeover?

There’s toxins all around us, true. The air we breathe, the water we drink, there’s no way we can completely eliminate them from our lives and homes. But does that mean we shouldn’t try? Does that mean we should just throw in the towel and let companies keep giving us products that aren’t thoroughly researched and filled with chemicals that can potentially affect us and our children?

I don’t think so! Even if Bisphenol-A (BPA) isn’t that bad for us and our children, or even if we’re really only being exposed to it in very small doses (which I don’t think is the case, see below), should we really continue to ingest it, or let our kids ingest it, without concern? It’s been shown affect hormones, including early onset of puberty, decreased sperm count and preliminary ties have been made to breast cancer. Now we can add heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes to that list. BPA prevents the release of a hormone that works to prevent those diseases. Even if BPA levels in plastics are low, I’m not interested in taking a chance, especially when it comes to my children.

The FDA has failed us.

Eco-friendly and BPA-free options are available, why not use them?

Stainless steel water canteens and sippy cups are still a hot item regardless of the FDA’s statements. The benefits of non-leaching stainless steel interiors notwithstanding, these reusable cups are good for the environment. Instead of buying a plastic water bottle when you’re out, grab your reusable container and fill it up before you leave.

So I watched the segment on NBC 4 about BPA-free products, of course. Overall I was pleased with the exposure.

But… during the segment Ellie also spoke with Dr. Terry Barber with the Columbus Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is what he had to say in regards to the chemical Bisphenol-A:

“The scientific community has absolutely no concern… There isn’t any evidence for me to say it is unsafe to buy the BPA products.”

If there isn’t a concern, why are retailers pulling products made from poly-carbonates off of their shelves? Why has Canada restricted the import of any plastics that contain BPA?

BPA may not be a concern to the scientific community in small doses. But it is a concern for your children. Especially babies who might be exposed to BPA in baby bottles many times a day, children who use sippy cups made from poly-carbonate plastics day after day, and even for adults who drink water from the ever-popular disposable water bottle. One drink from a poly-carbonate cup won’t kill you, but studies of BPA have shown neural and behavioral effects have been seen in infants and children. See the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences FAQ on BPA and the testimony of Norris Alderson, Ph. D. from the BPA task force.

For this reason parents are turning to BPA free products, like our Green to Grow BPA-free Baby Bottles and stainless steel sippy cups.

As a parent, what to put your baby’s food in is your decision, but since there are so many BPA-free products available, it’s certainly worth it to switch.

Want to share your comments? Check out Ellie’s Blog.

This morning I was interviewed by Ellie Merritt of NBC4 in Columbus. She asked if she could come to the house and see where we run Sprout Soup and talk about the BPA-free products we have available.

The story will air this afternoon, on First at Four. If you have come looking for the products shown, check out our Safe Feeding Category, or for Kleen Kanteen and Sigg Bottles as well as great BPA-free products for adults, turn to Baying Hound.

Wondering if you should make the switch to BPA-free products for your child? Here’s a couple rules of thumb. First, plastics labeled 1, 2 and 5 are the safest plastic. Turn the cup or bowl over and look for the number inside the recycling symbol. Sometimes the symbol will have letters beneath it. The letters “PP” stand for poly-propylene. This is one of the more stable and safe plastics. The letters “PC” stand for poly-carbonate. This plastic is known to have bisphenol-A and should be avoided.

If your plastic isn’t marked, you can learn some things about it just by look and feel. Softer plastics often have phthalates which should also be avoided. However some soft plastics are thermoplastic elastomer, like in our Foogo Sippy Cups, or silicone, like the valve in our Safe Sippy. Poly-carbonate plastic is often used to make plastic look like glass. So clear, glass-like plastic cups could be made from the harmful PC plastic. Look for plastics that are hard, solid and opaque, and choose sippy cups and food containers that either use no plastic or do not allow the food or drink to sit in plastic, instead they have glass or metal reservoirs with plastic tops.

Remember food and drink should never be heated in plastic, and hot foods and drinks should not be transferred into plastic containers. The longer food or drink is exposed to harmful plastics, the more chance there is of chemicals like BPA leaching into the food and drink and then being consumed by your child. Feel free to give us a call if you have questions about BPA or any of the products we carry.

We have listed the gorgeous and completely BPA (and plastic!) free Bambu Mini Me Bowls. Currently we only have the cayenne color available, but hope to have more in August.

After an almost six month wait, we finally have The Safe Sippy in-stock at SproutSoup.com.

With a newly redesigned spout, valve and top, the Safe Sippy is back and better than ever. The valve now is larger and shaped for easy insertion and removal. The spout is still straw shaped, but easier for children to use. The top threads directly on to the stainless steel, with the plastic top covering and protecting the lip of the cup from dings and damage.

The Safe Sippy is a cup that will grow with your child. With it’s straw-shaped spout it encourages good muscular development in your child’s mouth, plus the cup does not look too ‘babyish’ for those cool big kids. The cup handles are removable, so little ones can easily grab and later on the handles can be removed.

Grab your Safe Sippy today, in pink, blue or green. Clean in, clean out.

I was talking with some friends today while at work and someone brought up a story that they had heard on NPR (listen here) about how unsafe BPA is and how it is found in baby bottles, sippy cups, etc. Alissa had heard of this a while back and we have slowly been getting rid of the unsefe plastic in our house and we also had ordered items for the store.

Well I got home to a pile of Thermos Foogo Sippy cups

Thermos Foogo Sippy with Handles

Thermos Foogo Sippy without Handles

Thermos Foogo Snack Cup

Foogo Sippy Cups
$14.93